Doctors couldn't believe what they pulled out of this woman's eye

This woman's story will undoubtedly provoke disgust in most of you. But it will also make you want to take a much closer look at your hygiene. Because what the doctors found in her eyes is scarcely believable.

A vision of horror

A rather surreal situation recently unfolded in China, in the city of Kunming, located in the southwestern province of Yunnan. A Chinese woman, greatly inconvenienced by her itchy eyes, did all the normal things in such cases: rub them. Except, to her great surprise, a worm escaped from one of them, as reported by several media outlets.

She had to be rushed to hospital for an examination. Her ordeal had only just begun. The doctors who examined her found that her eyes were infected with several worms. In the end, they extracted no less than fifty parasites. 40 in the right eye and a dozen in the left! The worms, Filarioidea, had taken up residence in the poor woman's eyeballs.

Hand hygiene

While their larvae are generally carried by flies, in his case, they suspect contact with pets, cats or dogs. Transmission occurs via the hands. The woman must have stroked an animal, before mechanically rubbing her eyes a few moments later.

A story that serves as a reminder of the importance of impeccable hand hygiene in the fight against disease and infection. Indeed, this isn't the first time this has happened. An American woman also had similar parasites in her eyes. The risks are numerous, including blindness.

A good handwash, as WHO reminds us, should be done with clean running water and soap. The ideal is to lather for at least 30 seconds, taking care not to forget the back of the hand, between the fingers, under the fingernails and wrists. Drying is also important. This should be done in a perfectly clean and dry towel.

Read more:

⋙ This woman's eye infection turned out to be something worse: 'I could see them moving across my eye'

⋙ These are the most common signs that your child needs glasses, so keep an eye out

⋙ This very contagious eye disease could become the next pandemic

⋙ Expert reveals why some people have grey eyes and it's related to the sky

⋙ Watery eyes: Here's what it could mean for your health

This article has been translated from Gentside FR.

Sources used:

Sun: FEAST YOUR EYES Moment doctors pull 60 live WORMS from woman’s eyes in stomach-churning op after she ‘felt a bit itchy’

WHO: Oublier de se laver les mains peut coûter des vies